Question

What is the magnitude scale for earthquakes? What increase in energy is represented by an increase of 1 magnitude on the earthquake scale? Choose the correct answer below.

A. The magnitude scale represents the amount of energy released by an earthquake. The magnitude is related to the energy released by the earthquake. Each magnitude represents about 0.36 times as much energy as the prior magnitude.
B. The magnitude scale is a scale scientists use to measure the strength of an earthquake. An increase of 1 magnitude on the earthquake scale represents about 36 times as much energy as the prior magnitude.
C. The magnitude scale represents the amount of energy released by an earthquake. The magnitude is related to the energy released by the earthquake. Each magnitude represents about 0.32 times as much energy as the prior magnitude.
D. The magnitude scale is a scale scientists use to measure the strength of an earthquake. An increase of 1 magnitude on the earthquake scale represents about 32 times as much energy as the prior magnitude

Answer 1

The magnitude scale for earthquakes, or the Richter scale, is a logarithmic measure of earthquake strength. An increase of 1 magnitude equals about 32 times the energy of the previous magnitude, indicating a strong correlation between magnitude and released energy.

Step-by-step explanation:

The magnitude scale for earthquakes, often referred to as the Richter scale, is a logarithmic scale used to measure the strength or energy of an earthquake. The numbers on the Richter scale, such as 2.3, 4.0, 6.1, or 7.0, represent the amplitude of the seismic waves and are also a gauge of the energy released by an earthquake.

The correct statement regarding the increase in energy with each whole number increase in magnitude is: An increase of 1 magnitude on the earthquake scale represents about 32 times as much energy as the prior magnitude. Therefore, the magnitude scale reflects both the amplitude of the earthquake's waves and the energy they carry, which is evident in the destructive effect of an earthquake and the work performed analogous to thousands of wrecking balls in case of large-magnitude earthquakes.